Therapies
Acupuncture Therapy involves treatment methods including diet, herbs, and acupuncture needles. The practice of Acupuncture promotes the circulation of energy throughout the acupuncture channel system. The Chi, or vital energy of the body’s organs and systems are all connected in meridians or channels that lie just under the skin. A Naturopathic Doctor will use Eastern herbs and acupuncture to assist the body in regulating the Chi and achieving balance. Some of the benefits of acupuncture include pain relief, stress reduction, regulation of digestion, relaxation of muscle tension, enhanced fertility and improved sleep
Medicinal plants are a valuable and powerful tradition in natural healing. The plant as a whole and its therapeutic substances are highly effective and safe when used in the correct dosage and in combination with other herbs and treatments. Botanicals can be used in many forms including tinctures, teas, powders, syrups, creams, salves, capsules or tablets. Naturopathic doctors are extensively trained in both the art and science of botanical medicine and are currently the only health care providers in Canada to be regulated for the use of botanical medicine.
Bowen Therapy is a gentle muscle manipulation technique to stimulate your muscles and tissues. It helps to realign the musculoskeletal system by resetting the resting position of the muscles, draining and detoxifying the surrounding tissues, and restoring proper function to both the muscles and nerves. Bowen therapy is a powerful treatment for body pain and since there are no vigorous manipulations, the technique is extremely gentle and safe for all ages, infants to elderly. Bowen achieves profound relief for a wide range of conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, joint pain, lower back pain, migraine headaches, shoulder injuries, sports injuries, TMJ syndrome, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, postural problems, leg length discrepancies, sciatica. Bowen can also address asthma, allergies, wheezing, bronchitis, sinusitis, influenza, sore throat/tonsillitis, as well as digestive concerns such as constipation, indigestion/heartburn, hernia, colic, hemorrhoids, and nausea. Women’s health concerns such as infertility, mastitis, breast lumps, PMS, and menstrual pain can also be addressed. Bowen can offer support for nervous system concerns such as anxiety, bedwetting in children, Bell’s Palsy, bladder problems, chronic fatigue, depression, and nervous exhaustion. Overall, Bowen is very good for general relaxation and stress relief. Bowen addresses the entire body holistically, and as a result, you may see improvements in conditions even if they are located far from where the practitioner touches you.
Nutrition and the therapeutic use of foods is fundamental in Naturopathic Medicine. A very large proportion of health conditions can be linked to imbalanced nutrition and suboptimal digestive health. A Naturopathic Doctor is highly skilled and trained to understand the impact that your diet is having on your health. With appropriate dietary modification and nutritional supplements, health concerns can be treated.
Homeopathy works to promote the body’s innate healing ability (or vital force) through gentle yet curative means. Homeopathic remedies are made from specific dilutions of plant, animal and mineral substances and are prescribed based on acute or long-standing symptoms. Based on the principle that “like cures like”, a substance that may cause certain symptoms in a healthy person can also cure similar symptoms in an unhealthy person. This safe yet powerful system of medicine is more than 200 years old.
Manual Therapy is a patient-centered approach to health, guided by principles relating to the patient as a whole. The body is regarded as a self-regulating unit with an inherent ability to heal itself by constantly seeking to maintain a balance and communication between all of it’s many systems.
Manual therapists use detailed knowledge of anatomy, physiology and biomechanics to assess and restore balance within and between the systems of the body; musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, neurological, cranial and visceral. The goal of Manual Therapy is to enhance and support the bodies autoregulation by treating misalignments, adhesions, scars, twists, curves, pulls and strain patterns within the body that are obstructing normality. The unimpeded flow of our bodies fluids (lymph, blood, cerebral spinal, synovial and digestive) which carry nutrients, oxygen and the bodies communication systems is integral to our overall wellbeing. Manual Therapy treatments aim to mobilize fluids releasing areas of congestion and stagnation, as proper circulation of all body fluids is required for healthy tissue.
Over time, the body gradually loses its ability to efficiently self-regulate and to self-heal. Some of this loss may be due to the aging process, the prolonged influence of gravity on posture, trauma, toxicity, accident, illness, surgical scarring, childbirth, repetitive activity, or the cumulative effects of mental, emotional, physical and spiritual stress.
Treatments are non-invasive, and hands-on. Light touch is used to assess and treat. They include a unique combination of Cranial Sacral Therapy, Myofascial Release and Muscle Energy Technique and can be useful in treating a vast range of conditions.
The Naturopathic approach to supportive cancer care is to provide natural support in the form of herbal medicine, nutrition, supplements, intravenous vitamins and minerals, and stress reduction techniques to lessen the side effects of conventional cancer treatment. In addition to enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents, radiation, and other targeted therapies, natural treatment options can address nutritional deficiencies and contribute to improved energy and quality of life. Naturopathic Care can also provide strategies for long-term cancer prevention and optimizing health.
Perineural Injection Treatment™ (also known as Neural Prolotherapy) is a safe and effective therapy for chronic nerve-related pain. The treatment involves a series of shallow injections just below the surface of the skin.
The aim of Perineural Injection Treatment™ is to eliminate pain by targeting inflamed and sensitive nerves with a low concentration of glucose. At the therapeutic concentration, this natural substance causes reduced inflammation of the nerve and pain relief. Pain relief from the first treatment may last from hours to days, after which the pain returns in a reduced fashion. Because repetitive exposure to glucose is important to cure the inflammation, follow-up treatment is essential. The number of weekly follow-up treatments required to restore optimal function varies depending on the severity of the condition and the health of the patient.
How It Works
Injury activates nociceptors (pain fibers). These nociceptors react to low glucose levels inside the nerves and respond by causing nerve inflammation and increased firing which is perceived by the brain as pain. It may also cause swelling, sensitivity to touch, muscle stiffness and weakness. The neurogenic inflammation can spread all along the course of the injured nerve. Unlike other forms of inflammation (such as that due to ligaments and tendons), neurogenic inflammation does not respond to anti-inflammatory medication or cortisone and instead start to suffer harmful side-effects from long-term use of such medications.
The Perineural Injection Treatment™ uses glucose to target nociceptors located in nerve trunks immediately under the skin. When the small fiber glucose levels are restored to normal, this eliminates neuropathic pain and reduces neurogenic inflammation.
To determine whether Perineural Injection Treatment™ is right for you, your naturopathic doctor will determine whether your pain is nerve-related and a proper neuro-anatomical diagnosis must be made.
Physical, mental and emotional stressors permeate our lives and deeply affect our health. It is crucial to identify and address all aspects of a person’s life – including mental attitudes, emotional states, and varying life events as well as diet and exercise habits. Understanding your individual circumstances allows your Naturopathic Doctor to make preventive and sustainable lifestyle recommendations that help you achieve a healthy balance in your life. Naturopathic doctors are trained to counsel on diet, lifestyle, specific stressors, exercise and occupational or environmental hazards as an integral part of the naturopathic treatment program.
What Is Prolotherapy?
It is the injection of a solution into injured tendon or ligament attachments to bone, or into a joint, to stimulate the tissue repair using the body’s natural healing processes. This strengthens and regenerates the structures to improve range of motion, increases strength and stability, and reduce pain without the need for medication or surgery.
The most commonly used proliferant solution is a mixture of dextrose (sugar) and procaine (anaesthetic). The doctors at SCIMEDICA Health Group may recommend other solutions such as Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) if the injury requires a stronger treatment.
How does prolotherapy work?
Inflammation is a natural process by which the body increases blood flow to heal injuries. However, injured ligaments and tendons have very poor blood supply so they are unable to execute the healing process. Instead, they develop chronic insufficient inflammation which results in painful and degenerative joint conditions.
Targeted injection of prolotherapy solutions stimulates a controlled inflammatory response to enhance blood supply and recruit tissues growth factors at the site of injury. This starts a healing cascade that results in the re-growth of healthy ligament and tendon fibers.
Is the prolotherapy treatment painful?
Most patients tolerate the procedure well and do not require any pain-relief. Because prolotherapy is a pro-inflammatory treatment, it may result in some post-treatment discomfort that will be helped by Arnica or Tylenol.
How many prolotherapy treatments are needed?
While every prolotherapy treatment stimulates tissue repair, the number and frequency of treatments required to resolve an injury is different for each individual. Some people may feel complete resolution after just one treatment. Most chronic injuries require a series of treatments once every 1-3 weeks.
How will I feel after a prolotherapy treatment?
The healing inflammatory process lasts for anywhere from 24 to 72 hours after treatment. During this time, you may feel increased stiffness, soreness, and swelling around the area of treatment. These are all good signs that of increased blood supply to the injury and that tissue repair is starting.
How soon can I go back to work or playing sports after a treatment?
Again, every situation is different. Some patients go to work the same day after their treatment while others prefer to go home and rest. To allow for the tendons and ligaments to repair most effectively, you may need to stop or modify strenuous work or sports activities for 2-3 weeks. The growth pattern of tendons and ligaments should be complete in six weeks after each set of injections.
Is prolotherapy safe?
The risks are similar to conventional joint injections. The doctors at SCIMEDICA Health Group are Board Certified in Advanced Injection Therapies (including prolotherapy, neural prolotherapy, and PRP) by the College of Naturopathic Physicians of British Columbia) and have over 20 years of combined experience in prolotherapy treatment.
Prolotherapy can treat the following:
- Athletic Injuries: ligament and tendon injuries, sprains, strains, tears
- Overuse Injuries: golfers elbow, tennis elbow, shoulder tendonitis, Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, carpal tunnel
- Low Back Pain: musculoskeletal tension, sciatica, arthritis, herniated and degenerative discs
- Arthritis Pain: knees, back, neck, shoulders, hip, hands, wrists, feet
- Weak, Loose, And Unstable joints: hypermobility, subluxations, nerve impingement
- Whiplash Injuries: neck, upper back, shoulders, low back
- And More
For more detailed information and ongoing research studies regarding prolotherapy and its efficacy, please visit www.prolotherapy.org.
Most often, when muscles are over-worked they react by forming palpable tender knots called trigger points. Trigger points are the first sign of trouble in your musculoskeletal system and looming injury. In more severe situations, tendinitis can develop or muscles can even tear. That is why addressing trigger points in a timely fashion can save much down time from injury.
Trigger points are a normal result of training and all athletes will develop them at some stage. This is due to biomechanical imperfections in our bodies that causes certain muscles to become overloaded. Unlike a typical tight muscle, trigger points are areas within a muscle where inflammation and a scar tissue develops. Over time, these areas can become quite thickened and tough, depending on how long the trigger point has been present. The overall muscle becomes weakened and shortened in function while increasing in tension. Obviously, this will hamper athletic performance and predispose the muscle to more severe injury.
In addition to overuse, other factors such as muscle injury, surgery, nutritional deficiencies, and emotional stress are also potential causes of trigger points.
Trigger point injections are one of the most effective methods restoring affected muscles back to optimal health. During the procedure, the naturopathic physician inserts a small needle into the trigger point. The injection solution typically contains some combination of a local anesthetic and other medications or nutrients to reduce post-treatment soreness and increase the rate of tissue recovery. The injections will often elicit a localized twitch response from the muscle and then is repeated to address multiple affected areas.
Typically, a series of trigger point injection treatments in conjunction with other therapies to address the root causes of the trigger points is required. Your naturopathic physician will need to assess your situation specifically to determine the treatment protocol that is best for you.